And I don't mean "sex," as in my last post. I mean sweaty, sunny, steamy HOT. Whew! These ads from Perrier capture what I mean... this is exactly how I feel right now.
Pearl
If you wanted to know where SEX could be found in Paris...
Pearl
On Wednesday I visited the area around La Madeleine, starting in the Place de la Concorde, moving up the Rue Royale to the front entrance. This is a beautiful church.
Pearl
On Wednesday I was down at La Madeleine and saw this firetruck…
The firemen connected with it were aiding a homeless man who had passed out due to the heat and some dehydration. I tried to get a picture of the actual firemen in action, but my camera misbehaved and stopped me. Probably because it has better manners than I do and felt ashamed of being a lookie-loo.
Pearl
Last week I stopped by the bookshop at the BnF on Rue Richelieu and bought myself this.
It is a pencil box made of old rulers, filled with the older types of pencils the BnF used to sell.
Because I am a complete research geek, I love this kind of stuff. This makes me soooo happy.
Pearl
Friday, when I was up at Sacre Coeur, this guy was doing his thing out in front of the cathedral. I am always impressed by the street performers in Paris, as they perfect an entire act for the space. This man had his music (CD or tape) which not only played a great opening piece--from Gotan Project's great Revancha del Tango, music which always gets my attention--but the music shifted twice in his act, once for the glass balls and once for the spools.The glass balls had promise--they were those clear glass balls, like witch balls of gypsy crystal balls--and he had 4 of the same smaller size and one big one.
Unfortunately, all he did was twist them around and roll them on his hands.Not as dramatic as the outfit and the posturing suggest.
Then he switched to spools on string. This was better and he was very good with this.
And then he was done. Just a note: one more "thing" (threes are always better than two) and a Big Finish.But again, it was all portable and compact, he was professional in his presentation, and if I hadn't given all my cash to light a candle in the cathedral, I'd have definitely have contributed to the hat.
In my bored moments, I redesign the tiny space I live in, as
if it was mine, instead of a rental. The kitchen is where I’d start, I think,
or the bathroom. The kitchen is too small and ugly, not very convenient and,
like most American apartments no matter what size, it has full-sized, energy-sucking
appliances and not enough storage. I dream of a/ more storage, b/ useful,
energy-star, small appliances, and c/ adding a washer-dryer space. My current kitchen is incredibly bland and useless.
First change, color. I’d like a red kitchen—and by RED I mean red bell pepper RED.
The color would go on the walls.
Solid on the walls, and in part of the glass-tile mosaic above the counter. Like this one’s beigy tiles.
But I’m thinking primary red, blue, yellow, with white and green mixed in.
Second change, cabinets. I like seeing what’s inside—adds light, the illusion of increased space, and visual patterns. So windowed cabinets, all painted white. These would be above the counter, below the counter, and on the island. Probably not incredibly smart for the knee-high doors on the island, but we'd cope.
Third change, the island. Which right now is too small for
real storage and too high for work. I say, lower the height, add depth, and top
it with Corian, like the countertop. Let’s stop pretending we can eat at the
island, which I never do and can’t do, given the dining room table. Look at all these great colors, and it is relatively inexpensive and hardworking. Forget granite. Black or white (of which there are about 6 shades...)?
Fourth change: size-appropriate appliances. I salivate at the thought. By this, I mean a countertop-high refrigerator—without a freezer; microwave/convection oven combo; double-burner insert or sit-ontop. I rarely cook anything huge for me (single, hey!) but do use the oven space and the current mini-microwave. And a 4.4 cubic ft. countertop refrigerator will eliminate overbuying groceries—you can only store 2-4 days of stuff, and no freezer for loading up.
But lots of counterspace for coffeemaker, rice-cooker, slow-cooker,
toaster, etc. that I don’t have now. I want a toaster! I can't decide whether white, black, or stainless appliances would be best... I suspect white or black, I'm not really a stainless kind of girl. And white would add a lot of light to a dim corner.
Fifth change: stow washer-dryer combo in current space where
refrigerator stands, adding storage above for laundry and kitchen. A dream come true! A ventless combo
machine means it will fit and use what is now useless space… oh, wait, the big
ol’ energy sucking fridge is there. Above these would go storage space for laundry stuff, as well as storage space for dining linens (tablecloths, napkins) and cleaning supplies. And whatever. This would increase my counterspace by about 100%, storage space by 50%, and reduce annoyance by 500%. And give me a good place to cook as well as visit with guests. Guests? Novel idea!
And call me crazy, but I want a chandelier for lighting. A small one, since the kitchen is small, but something fairly traditional, not modern. Perhaps it is the transplanted Texan in my but like a tiara for my wedding day, I want chandeliers everywhere. This one's okay.
Yes, I have put a lot of thought into this. Too much?
What is it about a front door or doorway painted blue? Red is striking, but blue is provocative, fascinating, inviting. I am a serious fan of the Blue Door.
